#so I'm not really sure what the tip is ''for'' that the original price isn't covering

[satanfemme]

generally I'm not the kind of person to complain about "tipping culture" in america, but sometimes. oof. come on.

[sirfrogsworth]

I am so confused.

Even when this lens was first released it was $850 brand new.

Does he think people aren't going to check current prices? Did he get scammed and overpay originally? Not to mention eBay gives you a suggestion for pricing.

I really wish I hadn't sold my lenses. There was a point where I had a major decline in my health and I could no longer make comedy for my main website. At the same time, my parents were getting sicker and needed more help. We were also struggling financially. I was so depressed and I was sure I'd never do photography again, so I sold most of my lenses.

We needed the money at that moment, but in the grand scheme of things, the lens money barely made a dent in our situation. Not to mention, we got a small inheritance from my grandmother soon after, so that increased my regret. It took me years of scrounging and saving to build up a collection of 5 lenses. None of them top of the line, but all of them a good value for their performance.

Thankfully I kept the lens I used to take pictures of Otis—my "puppy lens." But my ultra wide, my macro, my tele, and my portrait lens... all gone.

And now I am trying to figure out the cheapest way I can do what I want to do with photography and I'm remembering just how expensive this hobby is. But I think I need to figure this out because I have had a substantial boost in my mental health since I started taking photos again.

A good 50mm could serve several roles. I can add extension tubes for macro. It is about 75mm on an APS-C camera, which is good for portraits. The wide aperture would allow low light photography. Combined with my Otis lens, all I'd be missing is telephoto and ultra wide angle, but honestly I never did much of that anyway. Though ultra wide angle photography is probably the most fun you can have taking pictures—even if the photographic uses are rare.

I did get a Nifty Fifty for my trip to Orlando. I wanted to see if I could get away with using a $100 lens. For the price, it is surprisingly good. And it is the first lens I recommend to anyone starting photography—as almost every camera brand has its own version. But I had several issues trying to make it work for my needs.

It's not very sharp, which is actually fine for shots taken at a distance, but would be a deal breaker for product photos and macro shots which are very close up. Those require as much detail as possible, especially if you need to crop. When you are trying to show people the fine hairs on a bee's body, a soft image just isn't going to have the same impact.

It also does not nail focus consistently and it back focuses (it focuses more behind than in front). Which is a deal breaker for my efforts to use less energy. When I did my portrait shoot with Katrina, I had to do many test shots and look at them on the computer to make sure I was getting them in focus. I was going back and forth and getting up and down. In the end I had to use a smaller aperture and higher ISO to get increased depth of field. And even then the tip of her nose was soft in the photos. Not to mention the added noise from raising the ISO.

This Sigma is a wonderful lens. I'm trying to find a good deal used, but it's still out of reach for now. I have no idea what my financial future is right now and until I know for sure that my brother will release my inheritance in March, I have to be more careful with my budget.

I am going to sell all of my studio lighting gear and use those funds to help me set up a new studio upstairs. I'm hoping that will cover the new lights I will need, but I don't think it will be enough for a lens. Someone suggested a site where I can turn my yard into a dog park, so I am looking into that. I might also see if I can get some gigs restoring photos for people, but it is so difficult finding clients.

Every problem has a solution. And maybe the universe will do me a favor and keep my brother from being terrible just this once.

[nancypullen]

Tick Tock (not to be confused with the controversial platform, TikTok)

Guess who received a surprise in the mail yesterday? This girl! Matthew is a techy gadget guy (Who am I kidding? All of the men in my family are techy gadget guys) and got in on the ground floor when this particular gadget was in development. He contributed early and many months later when the product was ready he received two. We're some of the first people in the world to have this very cool item.

You guys, it's SO cool! Every minute of the day gets a quote from a work of literature that mentions that time, and it's not the same every day - for example, 9:35am isn't going to be the same quote day after day. I find myself checking the clock all day long.

How's that for a happy surprise? I'm so tickled. It's really a lovely piece, heavy and well-made. I'm so crazy about it! I'll bet you know a bookworm that would love one of these. Speaking of being a bookworm. I'm doing a display at work with puffy clouds and silver raindrops for the month of April. I'm calling it Rainy Day Reads and I'll stock it with books that are known to be page-turners, books that pull you in and you can't stop reading until you know what happens next. I've been quizzing everyone I know, asking them to name a book that they simply couldn't put down. I don't care about genre - romance, thriller, mystery, spies, historical fiction, sci fi, chick lit, whatever! I'm hoping that I can find enough of the titles in our library's collection to keep the display full all month. Is there a book that kept you up reading past your bedtime? Tell me! New subject. Did I mention that I finally found someone who can cut my hair? Her name is Kelly and she works at a salon in Easton. She gave me the best haircut of my life. Not kidding. Surely that's a sign that things are starting to get better around here. The stylist was recommended by someone at work, a coworker who has thick hair. I asked her where she got her hair cut and she told me that I'd love her girl. She was right. In fact, this hair magician is so good that my sister drove all the way from Elkton (over an hour!) for an appointment and swears it's her best cut too! Where has this woman been all my life? For the last month I have actually liked my hair. That's a first. If you have crazy hair, go see Kelly at West Wing Salon in Easton. You will leave happier. I drove to Easton today just to run a couple of errands and ended up with a splitting headache. It's my own fault. I have a really cute little air freshener that dangles from my rear view mirror. I bought it on Etsy.

It was filled with a yummy fragrance oil and some dried flower petals. Every so often you tip it upside down and the oil soaks the wood top and keeps your car smelling pretty. When the original oil ran out I didn't want to pay Etsy prices for a refill, so I ordered a tiny bottle of Honeysuckle fragrance oil from Amazon and poured it in. Problem solved. Turns out, I probably should have diluted it because it is STRONG. Like, holy-cow-who-spilled-a-bottle-of-perfume strong. By the time I was halfway to Easton I could taste it. Then my right eye started twitching. I rolled a window down and that helped, but I'll have to pour some out and add water. Maybe that'll fix the issue. I could probably hang it on the porch and let the neighborhood wonder who has honeysuckle blooming. We'd be the first on our street to spot hummingbirds, for sure. Okay, on that silly note, I'm heading upstairs to soak in a bath and get into some jammies. There's rain on the way and I want to be under the covers when it starts dancing on the roof. Is there anything better than rain at bedtime? Sending our loads of love tonight, take what you need, pass it on. Wishing you sweet dreams and ,as always, stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[anysin]

Fic: Fading Into You

For anon requester, a surprise encounter during S4 after Martin's meeting with Simon Fairchild! SFW and romantic.

Fading Into You

Ever since he became Peter's assistant, Martin has had his own office. It's just a small room, inherited from someone who annoyed Peter and suffered the price for it, and it took a long time for Martin to stop being uncomfortable there. But now that he is sinking deeper into the Lonely, it barely matters anymore that the room had such a grim origin. It has become a comforting space for him.

He sits invisible there now, trying to calm down after his encounters with Simon Fairchild and Basira. Of course, it doesn't matter much to be invisible when you are in a locked room, but there is something weirdly soothing about going invisible to him now; it's an easier way to dissociate, even pretend that he doesn't exist. He is wondering about whether he should actually stay in the office for whole night this time when the lock rattles, startling him.

Breathing out, Martin stands up slowly. He is assuming that it's only the cleaning staff, and that he needs to get out of their way now. But when the door opens, it's Jon who comes in.

Stiffening, Martin tries not to move. He hasn't been sure whether Jon can see him or not when he's invisible, but at the moment it seems like Jon hasn't noticed anything. Jon closes the door behind him, looking around the office but not at Martin, his gaze bouncing on the bare walls before focusing on Martin's desk. Setting his jaw, Jon marches over to it, and Martin steps aside while Jon comes to investigate the desk.

Martin should probably be offended when Jon starts to look through the papers on his desk, then proceeds to try to open the drawers. But Martin only feels affection as he gazes at Jon, at the determined concentration on his face.

He has no idea what Jon is trying to do, but the fact he came here, that he knew this was Martin's office and that he thought of Martin enough to know this- Martin feels cold inside these days, tries his best to be cold through and through so Peter buys into his act, but just the sight of Jon brings a dangerous burst of warmth into his chest. Martin wants to touch him, trail his fingers along Jon's sharp cheekbone, jawline. He bites his lip, and forces himself to look away.

He doesn't see Jon coming until he feels his hand on his cheek.

"So you do care," Jon whispers. "You have pretended well."

Martin scoffs. "Don't condescend me."

He leans away, but Jon cups his face more firmly, putting his other hand on Martin's waist as he turns Martin's face forward. There is a feverish glimmer in Jon's eyes, need that makes Martin shake inside, even though he's trying not to.

"I'm just congratulating you," Jon replies as he slides his hand over to the small of Martin's back, clutching him as he moves closer to him. "I always hoped otherwise, of course, but you were really convincing with your act. You really made me believe there was no chance."

Jon smiles, grasping the tip of Martin's chin between his index finger and thumb. "I'm so glad that isn't true."

Martin swallows, unable to believe that he is allowing this to happen. He shouldn't; it's about to destroy everything he has worked on in these last months, and that's the thing that should matter. He grasps Jon's wrist, trying to will himself to yank Jon's hand off his face.

"I can't afford to care about you," he finds himself saying, his grip on Jon's wrist loosening. Why does he have to be so weak for him? It was supposed to be easier now, everything about Jon was supposed to be easier. "Just let me do what I need to do."

Jon stares at him, victorious.

"Let me kiss you," he says.

Martin barely manages to shake his head, and but Jon tightens his grip on him and pulls him towards himself, Martin doesn't have the will to deny him for the second time. He closes his eyes, his shoulders falling slack as Jon kisses him, his hand running up and down along the length of Martin's spine, his other hand still holding on tight to Martin's chin as he pulls it downward, to open his mouth.

Color returns to Martin, making him visible again. He releases Jon's wrist, grasping him by the back of his head so he can kiss him back, his whole body burning hot.

Jon smiles against his mouth through the entire kiss, and is still smiling when they part.

"Let me chase the Lonely out of you," Jon asks.

"No."

The smile stutters, but doesn't fade away. "Why not?"

"I have a job to do." Martin's not sure if he bears to see that smile disappear entirely, so he adds: "Afterward."

The smile fades from Jon's lips, but remains in his eyes. It's so hopeful. He nods, and releases Martin.

"I will hold you onto that," he says as he steps away from Martin. "If it doesn't go away on its own, I will make it."

Martin nods in return, staying where he is while Jon walks past him to leave. Their arms brush together briefly, making Martin shiver, and he thinks he can feel Jon shiver too.

He becomes invisible again- eventually. He just has to focus very, very hard.

[artstorieshusbandos]

Tale of Two Tragedies-Theo's route (Ikemen Vampire) **spoilers**

Tragedy #1 Exhibit A

I honestly half expected him to haul off and draw a masterpiece in the tavern notebook. Not because he's a Van Gogh but because there's almost no way someone with his appreciation for art , his eye for it and his hardcore determination wouldn't have managed to at least be drawing on the side for enjoyment.

This scene would have gone down a little differently if I had actually been in MC's place. MC, it seems, doesn't do art. I've been at least scribbling since I was a kid that figured out I could rub the paint off my toys onto the wall. I would not have noticed the notebook on the counter, but ever since we left the private gallery earlier I'd been dying to ask him if he'd ever done any art. I daydreamed about asking while I was waiting for my tickets to replenish Why?

This isn't the voice of someone who doesn't want to do art.

Usually when someone tells me they can't draw I find out one of 3 things. They either don't really want to draw or at least they have other things they'd much rather put their time into which is fair. They actually can draw but have fallen into the trap of undervaluing their own work which may or may not be a result of comparing their work to the work of others. Then there's the third crowd that has the desire to do it, puts in the time but can't get anywhere because they are trying to draw from their left brain.

What am I talking about? I'm sure you may have heard that our brains have two halves and that the left half is connected to logic, mathematics, language, symbolism, ect, and the right brain is associated with imagination, creativity, music, spatial relations, distances, ect. Most of us don't know how that actually relates to someone's ability to draw or paint. The truth is art is something all humans can do to some degree. How good you manage to get is one part the desire to do it, one part putting in the practice and one part how well you can get your left brain to give over control to the right brain.

Vincent and Theo are such wonderful examples of what I'm getting at here with the whole left brain/right brain thing. Vincent is right brain dominant and I know this not because he's a talented artist but because it's a fact that Vincent Van Gogh is left handed. Our dominant hands are opposite our dominant brains. Theo is clearly left brain dominant not only because we can see it in his organizational and business skills we can see how he's talking in the second image where he's trying to draw King. He's thinking about drawing fur and eyes and the components of the dog not the forms. The parts are all named and labeled....this is left brain thinking. Compare it to how he talks when he is observing paintings and pushing the technical aside to just let it speak to him. This is the mode he needs to be in to create but he's trying to attack it with his stronger mode which is his left brain mode. It doesn't matter how much you practice if you are practicing the wrong thing.

The other pitfall he's hit is comparing himself to Vincent. As an artist never ever ever ever compare yourself to anyone but the you from yesterday. There will always be someone "better" than you and "better" will always be subjective. Vincent got a head start being right brained. When his brain reaches for it's stronger side it's going to pull from the correct one automatically.

Maybe at this point you're wondering why I spent so much time analyzing a fictional character in this manner? Honestly it breaks my heart to see him like this and though I know he's fictional I also know there are many many Theo's in this world who have given up because they don't know what's holding them back or that it can be conquered. I wrote this for them.

If this is you and you'd like to see what you're truly capable of do this one really easy exercise. Find a picture of something you'd like to draw. Draw it as best you can. If all you can do is draw a stick then draw that stick. Then take that same image and flip it upside down and draw it again. The reason for doing this is to force the left brain to let the right brain work. The left brain doesn't like to work with anything it can't define and slap a label on. When you flip the image upside down it makes it so the left brain can't properly identify the subject. It has no choice but to shut up and let the right brain work. Compare your two drawings. I was astonished the first time I did this. I no longer have my original upright drawing from the first time I tried this technique but I do have the first drawing I ever did upside down. Here it is.

Granted I had been drawing for years upright already but if you need a point of reference as to where I was in my skill when I started training my left brain to sit down here's another drawing from the same year.

Quite a bit of technical difference.

If this exercise worked for you and you're interested in learning more about how to train your brain for better art this is the book that taught me.

I recommend this book to any artist that hasn't read it. It's been the biggest help I've ever gotten on my journey. I don't know if Amazon is the best place to get a copy or not I didn't price match I just put up the first link I came to so you might want to shop around.

Tragedy #2 Exhibit B

Here is one of the last pieces I completed.

It was done in 2012. That's right.....it's been damn near a decade since I've turned out a completed art piece. It would probably break Theo's heart even more to know that there are people out here like me that have talent and aren't using it while he would love to do it and can't seem to. In fact he'd probably dump my ass if we were actually dating before he found out. I felt guilty before but now it's guilt x 1000. Are any of you out there in the same boat as me? Anyone out there that managed to get out of the rut that might have some tips for me? Maybe I should take some requests? What would you all like to see me draw?

Also if you're interested in seeing more of my stuff my gallery is collecting dust here

Theo has everything he needs to be a great artist. He has the eye for aesthetics, he has the desire and commits himself to everything. In his time psychology is in it's infancy. He doesn't even know yet what he doesn't know. If I was wrong about this and he still couldn't draw after a few training sessions I guess I'd have to start making him paint by number kits. He can pick the subject and the colors I'll map out the design and we'll do it together.

[deep-sea-skiving]

How to shop for vintage aesthetics!

With vintage fashion and aesthetics becoming increasingly popular, I thought I'll share some of my techniques of shopping affordably for vintage clothing. A couple of disclaimers to start with, my preferred aesthetic time period for clothing is the 80s and 90s however, this does not mean that this ‘guide’ can’t be used be used for whatever vintage style you’re shopping for. This post will also be UK based as that’s where I live, some of the places where I tend to shop may apply to Europe but I'm not entirely sure! Finally this is how I shop and what I look out for when shopping for vintage clothing, if you got any of your own tips please share, vintage clothes shopping unfortunately, has become incredibly expensive :( Now all that incredibly dull stuff is out of the way, lets get into it!

The first thing I would do before even attempting to go vintage clothes shopping is research. Knowing your era and the distinctive style of that era is incredibly important. I know it sounds self- explanatory but having a good insight of the fashion and culture of your chosen vintage aesthetic will mean that you can spot certain pieces in the wild with ease. With anything if you know what you’re looking for you’ll find it a lot easier. The best research in my opinion is just asking someone who grew up or lived through that time period, they tend to remember the more obscure and weird trends that have been long forgotten. Maybe, for the greater good, I'm looking at you leg warmers. If you don’t like social interaction and I don’t blame you, I don’t like talking to old people either, watching TV shows from the time will also give you an insight. Top Of The Pops in my view is the best show to watch not because of the awful obvious lip-syncing, like how did they fool anyone when they’re playing electric guitars plugged into nothing ? But because you can see how both celebrities and normal people dressed.

 Other shows I would recommend have to be of course friends, we all know that Rachel Greene was a 90s fashion icon, ok. To summarise, research means that shopping for your chosen vintage aesthetic is a lot easier, you can avoid common mistakes such as buying something that’s way too modern or clothing which was not fashionable in that particular era.

When you have decided what vintage era you’re shopping for and what you are looking for, knowing where to shop is the next priority. Like I said I live in the UK so some of these are maybe UK specific and I don’t have loads of money, so that narrows down some of the options. One of the best places to look for vintage clothing is charity shops. Due to the troubling economic climate at the moment there’s like 10 charity shops in every town spreading like head lice in a primary school. Consequently, it’s probably the most accessible way to shop for vintage clothes. If you are like me and favour an 80s/ 90s aesthetic look in the mens section as most of the clothes from this era were unisex or have a more oversized boxy look which means many volunteers mistakenly put these items in the mens. Anyway who need to conform to gender norms, wear what you like! Unfortunately, some charity shops have caught on to the popularisation of vintage aesthetics as such some items will go on their online shops (Still worth a look) or prices for vintage clothing will be higher than other pieces of clothing but bear in mind these prices tend to still be lower than eBay and vintage shops. It’s really hit and miss but when you do find something it’s normally a bargain. Recently I managed to get a wind breaker for £8.99 and it even had it’s original tag still attached! Plus this method of shopping for vintage clothes is ethical and helps real good causes.

Another place where I look for vintage clothing is car boot sales. Normally you find absolutely nothing but they’re still fun to go to nonetheless. Anyway you could strike it lucky and find a long lost supremes costume at a French car boot (yes that really happened!). If you do find anything the great thing about car boots is that you can let out your inner apprentice candidate and haggle on prices. Though it’s rare to find anything apart from old ladies’ bone china plates with matching bowls, if you do you tend to find something you’ll get it for a steal when compared to eBay.

Shops that specialises in selling vintage clothing obviously will have the most stock and variety of pieces however, it’s going to cost you. Vintage sales are also a possibility but though the ‘low’ price per kilo is enticing once you put one sweatshirt or a pair of jeans in that bag you’re done for. Vintage sales are only good value for money when all the items you want are super light, if not they can become super expensive real quick. Also be aware that though these are called vintage sales there are a lot of items that are not vintage in the slightest.

So, how can you tell if a piece of clothing is vintage? The first thing I look at is the label. Most vintage t-shirts and jumpers will have a label sewn in, while modern clothing will have what would been the label printed into the fabric. It’s hard to explain so here’s an example:

However, this is not a definite rule some modern clothing will also have labels that are sewn in! Some over things to look out for to identify vintage clothing from modern is the materials. Look out for those incredibly flammable and definitely safe materials. Zips are also a big clue if a piece of clothing is vintage or not, older clothing tended to have metal zips while modern pieces have plastic. This is probably a cost cutting measure.

We all know that vintage clothing can be expensive so buying new versions of retro products can also be a possibility if you want to go for a certain retro aesthetic. This is a cheaper way of shopping however, quality and durability may vary when compared to the original product. I always buy new when it comes to shoes just because I’m not a fan of wearing someone’s else's incredibly worn 20+ years old trainers. But whatever floats your boat, I guess. Most athleisure brands like reebok will do a classic range which replicates retro shoes such as the freestyle hi which was worn by 11 in Stranger things 3.

 Brands like Casio also continues to make vintage products such as the F-91W which sometimes gets discounted to as low as £7.99. The quality of these are superb and can add retro feel to any outfit.

so, there's some of my tips for how to shop for vintage clothing, this isn't all of them but I think this post is way too long now! If you have any tips that you would like to share please write them in the comments. I love learning new things!!